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Baker submits plan for culinary institute dorms

Beth LeBlanc, Times Herald
5:41 a.m. EDT August 27, 2014

Waterfront development would house more than 40 students

Baker College has submitted plans to build dorms at the Culinary Institute of Michigan off of St. Clair Street in Port Huron.The two-story building would have 17 units and about 11,000 square feet of living space.(Photo: JEFFREY SMITH/TIMES HERALD)

Baker College of Port Huron has submitted plans to the Port Huron Planning Commission for an 11,472-square-foot student apartment building just west of the college's Culinary Institute of Michigan.

The two-story building would house about 48 beds divided among 17 units, said Jim Cummins, president and chief executive officer of the Baker College system.

A public hearing to discuss the plans will be at 6 p.m. Sept. 2, said Bob Clegg, a member of the planning commission and the city engineer.

At the same meeting, the planning commission could vote on giving site plan approval to the student apartments.

"Our role at the planning commission will be to review the site plan and make sure it's consistent with our policies," Clegg said.

After obtaining site plan approval, the college then would need a variety of permits before construction could take place.

Baker College of Port Huron is planning student housing near its Culinary Institute of Michigan.(Photo: Handout)

The student housing would complement a group of recent developments just south of the Blue Water Bridge including the Baker College of Port Huron Culinary Institute of Michigan, the DoubleTree by Hilton hotel, Freighters Eatery and Taproom, and the Blue Water Area Convention Center.

Cummins said plans for the student apartments are preliminary and have not yet been approved by the college's board of directors.

He said the need for additional housing is driven by culinary institute students.

"We do have a lot of inquiry either from students that are too far away to commute or students that are from other states," Cummins said.

The dorm would include 17 units — eight units that accommodate two people each, eight units that accommodate four people each and one unit for a resident assistant.

Cummins said the college's other culinary institute in Muskegon has student housing, but the units are not adjacent to the school.

Clegg said the proposed building would be built on land zoned C-1, which allows for universities, colleges and related housing.

Port Huron City Manager James Freed said the student apartments will differ from dormitories at larger universities.

"They have a much more high-end residential feel to them," Freed said. "They are designed to fit in well with the community."

Chavenia Hernandez sits on her front porch while she talks about dorm plans at the Baker College Culinary Institute of Michigan August 26, 2014 on St. Clair Street in Port Huron. The dorms would be built on the parcel of land across the street.The two-story building would have 17 units and about 11,000 square feet of living space.(Photo: JEFFREY SMITH/TIMES HERALD)

Chavenia Hernandez lives on the west side of St. Clair Street, across from the culinary institute and the site for the planned apartments.

Hernandez said she moved to the area for the view of the river, and she believes an apartment building would affect that view.

"I moved in the winter they built that," Hernandez said, pointing toward the culinary institute. "It blocked my view, and now they want to block the rest of my view.

"We're not going to be able to see anything except the back of a building."

Hernandez believes putting student apartments near the riverfront is a misuse of the land.

"I'm glad they're doing something really good for Port Huron ... but you're putting dorms on the waterfront," she said.

Marguerite Gavin, 95, has lived at St. Clair and Mansfield streets for the past 61 years. She thought the developments were a good addition.

"It looks so clean; the grass is so green," Gavin said. "You can't believe what it looked like beforehand.

"Port Huron was not advancing at all, so you had to do something."

Michael Geno lives in one of the last homes left on the east side of St. Clair Street between Harker Street and Scott Avenue. The planned student apartments would be just south of his home.

Geno said he wishes the culinary institute well, but he wished developers would have communicated with him more about plans for the area.

"I think that the convention center along the riverfront makes sense, but I don't understand the situation of a culinary school with a riverfront view," Geno said.

"I find it surprising that through this whole process, we have not had any communication from Baker as to any of it."

Contact Beth LeBlanc at (810) 989-6259 or eleblanc@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter @THBethLeBlanc.

PORT HURON PLANNING COMMISSION

IF YOU GO

A public hearing to discuss plans for the Baker College of Port Huron student apartments will be at 6 p.m. Sept. 2 in the public meeting room of the Municipal Office Center, 100 McMorran Blvd.